that's why in the weeks and months ahead we are going to be spending a lot of time talking to house and senate members about ground to solve our nation's problems. cnbc coverage, the third debate continues, special report. >> and the main event begins one hour from now. good evening, everyone. >> here, the focus tonight, foreign policy which, more than ever, is intertwined with our economy. cbs's bob shiefer is the moderator. cnbc's chief correspondent is live. john, a lot to do tonight. a last chance to make a big impression ahead of a big event just over two weeks from now. >> reporter: that's right. starkly different goals, at least as senior advisors articulated them to me just a few minutes ago. from team romney, they're looking not to go on offense against president obama.

not to prosecute the case on benghazi. not much interest is good for them. boring is good for them. president obama, on the other hand, likes the aggression that he showed in the results of that in the last debate. you can expect president obama try to make the kacase that he doesn't know what he's doing in foreign policy. he could -- the tone of his questions, the direction of his questions could alter the nature of his responses and also the aggression from obama could cause romney to change his tune a little bit. he saw the big pass didn't work out too well for president obama in the first debate. >> connect the dots for us, john. in terms of foreign policy decisions that will impact the economy here, what's your take? what are you expecting? >> well, you can expect on china, for example, they're both talking about getting tough with china. romney says he would be tougher.

when you talk about unrest in libya, in syria and the middle east, people connect that to oil prices and our energy future. when you talk about afghanistan, you can expect the president to make the case that the reason i'm pulling troops out of afghanistan in 2014 is, a, because there's no more useful purpose to be served by them there. but, b, it's time to start building a nation at home. >> all right, john, talk to you soon. >> larry kudlow is the host of kudlow report here on cnbc. >> it's funny. you asked that question about the debate and the economy. i think the flow may be the other way. i have a feeling that mitt romney is going to make a lot of effort tonight to talk about the economy which, in his view, has been very weak. the worst recovery since world war ii. and what should be done about it? you heard romney in the last debate rip obama on the economy. and when you looked at those

snap polls on cbs and cnn, romney was winning that debate on the economy by 20 or 30 percentage points. i think you'll see the same thing tonight. i think he's going to try to turn as much as he can foreign policy into economic policy. there are a lot of reasons for that that we can talk about later. >> it's been said, his campaign is designed to fight on the economy. and a lot of people point out, whether you like him or not, his weakest moments, arguably, from the summer involve foreign policy. >> i agree. it lacks perfection. i think you have a good point there, carl. but i think they smell blood on the economy. and i think they smell blood on the issue of a little compromise, what i call finding ground. independence in the polls are moving in romney's direction big time. but i also think he will take some shots on benghazi. >> will he be able to close it on foreign policy? there were a few missed opportunities when the benghazi situation came up even around issues of china.

>> you know, i don't know if he'll close it. i don't know if either of those guys will close it. i think both of them have a strategy that they want to give off. they're still standing on their legs and then go through the last two weeks of the campaign. but, gosh, the stakes are so high right now. when you look at the momentum of the polls, they are just rolling toward romney nationwide. ohio, florida, i mean, it really is something. >> internals, too. >> internals look very strong. i think he wants to look good. commander-in-chief like. i don't think you'll hear a lot of controversial comments. >> i want to talk to you about the electoral college. there is a debate in terms of who's winning there. >> meantime, investing legend has officially endorsed mitt romney. >> and that would be, of course, a big issue in florida, which tonight's debate is being held. chuck schwaab joins us live. thanks very much for joining us tonight. >> good evening, maria. nice to see you again.

>> as a business executive and a found ere of your own firm, what do you want to hear in terms of foreign policy that may lead to economic decisions and perhaps suggested improvement for the economy here. >> well, maria, i simply don't want to give up the position that america's had for 50 years. we don't want to become a second or third or fourth-level nation. i want to see what we're going to do about it going forward. and that really gets back to what we're going to do about our economic strength. we've had the worst recovery in, i don't know, 50 years, a hundred years, however you want to look at the numbers. it's pathetic. and i came out of the of the closet, basically -- i've never done this in terms of politics: but i think it's so important right now to get the president that understands the economy and get it turned around. there are so many people who really depend upon that whether it's the seniors and their savings accounts or it's the 23 million unemployed. i'm sick and tired of this lu r

lumbering along economy. >> you think about this an awful lot. if you're backstage tonight in boca, what do you tell the govern governor? >> well, i simply tell him to always refer back to the strength of america really requires upon the great strength of our economic system here. what we've done for the world, what were the years innovation to extend actually foreign aid. we have been a generous country. we have to return to that level, i think. and it requires a engine, a growth engine that's got to be at least 4 percent. we can't be messing around with 1 1/2 or 2. i just came back from two weeks in china a couple weeks ago. i can see what the contrast was between our country and china. and i don't want to become second fiddle to them. >> there's a lot of discussion tonight, chuck, about the ways in which foreign policy is tied to our economy.

the governor or the president could make a lot of promises about how we're going to lead militarily around the world. but the big question is going to come up as to how we afford it. two very unpopular wars cost us 3 trillion dlarsz. >> we afford it, of course, by changing our trajectory on our economic issues. we get a 4% growth. we get another 3 million people employed a year for the next 12 years. you'll see income coming into the federal government, state and local governments. we'll have the ability, i think, to finance all the things that we have dreams about. >> so, chuck, how do you do it then? go through the different policies from these two very different candidates in terms of getting back to growth. what do you think the president does not understand or is not getting about the economy. and what is the most important policy that governor romney can put forth actually getting us

back on track. >> well, it's pretty simple, maria. just look at the record of the last four years. we've had the worst recovery that i've ever seen in all the economic studies that i look at and other brilliant economists. if we want four more years of lackluster growth, that's one thing. he knows how to negotiate with congress. he's done that. and, of course, in massachusetts, he turned around the olympics. he's had a long record from bane, originally. our firm has used them and did a massive turn around at schwab. they know how to get things done. and they know how to create policies that will lend itself to getting the whole economy the right kind of incentives to make growth happen. right now, american businessmen, like me, are pretty much in a funk right now because we just

don't see that support coming behind by the leadership of america. we just don't have it right now. >> chuck, this morning, caterpillar had a pretty weak forecast for the year. the ceo was on "squawk box" this morning and hopes that all of the anti-china rhetoric is luster. it's obviously tough talk on china without disappointing things to american business that are key regarding trade. >> well, our issues are simply not chinese alone, in terms of its -- where we find the problems. they are a big, competitive country. we want them to be economically healthy. they have 400 million people. we want them to be strong. we want them also play eed by t same rules. so i think every once in a while, we need to remind this new country, china, just in the last 30 years this miracle that has happened here. so we want to remind them in very strong terms to play by the rules. copyright rules, currency rules,

all of those type of things, we want a fairness in the way we compete. if we get fairness, we're happy as americans to compete against any other economic system in the world. >> clearly, these two issues come up given the relationship to foreign policy. what do you think would be the most important comment or remark that governor romney can come out with to discuss opening trade with the rest of the world and getting the energy policy in place to actually mean job creation? >> well, i think, maria, we have the record of the obama administration -- i don't think they have one trade agreement that's been initiated, put through, signed and delivered in the last four years. i think they aprproved one that was done in the bush years. >> in the bush years, that's right. >> and i think eventually were signed after many -- a number of months of struggling. but there's no new trade

agreements under the present administration. i think with energy, we will see a very powerful attempt by the romney-ryan ticket to make sure that we get close to energy independence in america. that will solve a lot of our issues, i would think, with respect to the middle east. and it will be a boom to americans in terms of employment creation and to actually lower the cost of our energy. you could see it at stations today on how difficult it's been. we're too dependent or international oil. >> chuck, last question. you're taking somewhat of a business risk openly endorsing a candidate. have you thought about any effect it would have to clients of yours who are hardened democrats? >> well, i hope i can convince them that a strong economy is the best thing for them. if they're long time savers, for instance, i'm now 75 years of ang.

i'll tell you, our money markt acounts are at zero right now because the present administration has abdicated for getting our economy and left it all to the federal reserve. what do they have to do? lower the interest rate down to zero. and it's going to remain at zero until we get this economy turned around and get some growth. then rates will gradually go up and get back to a normal time period. >> mincing no words, chuck, thank you very much for kicking us off tonight. we're just getting started tonight as we count you down to the final presidential debate of the 2012 season. >> its's going to be exciting. jim cramer here to explain why it's not jobs, the debt or deficit that the election is about. it's about oil. he'll explain. and then media mogul billionaire is here. you're going to want to hear what he has to say. david siegel is here. he says if the president wins reelection, he'll close his

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let's solve this.

welcome back to our special coverage. energy policy will likely come up as part of tonight's debate. >> boon pickens joins us live tonight. boon, welcome back. good to have you. >> thanks, carl. >> i know you're watching. i know you have been watching because you've been as active twittering during the debates as you have been watching. energy policy has obviously come up the last couple of times. but tonight, i hopefully think it makes that connection that you've been talking so much about. that is our own economy, energy independence and our own foreign policy. what do you want to hear? >> well, they've got to get on on energy because the only reason we're in the mideast is because of oil. you know, you look at it, we've got two aircraft carriers over there in the pergsz gulf. we've got people fighting in afghanistan.

it's because the oil is why we're there. listen, we've tied our future to a cartel is what's happened to us. and the cartel is not friendly to us. and i can clearly show you that we are -- money that goes into the mideast, for the purchase of oil, some part of that goes to the taliban. and we've got resources in america. we do not have to do in. and what we need in washington is leadership that's going to take us in the right direction with an energy plan. >> well, let's talk about that. boon, you have been a student of this business, the energy business and oil for decades. talk to us about the potential for job creation around energy right now. and what you think we might hear tonight on both sides in terms of creating jobs. >> well, there's no question. i mean, the numbers are out there on job creation. i mean, for instance, if you went to the 8 million 18 wheeler

trucks to natural gas off of foreign diesel, you create about a million jobs is what you'll do. and that's 8 million trucks out of 250 million vehicles in america. i mean, everything is pretty clear and easy to do. that could be accomplished in less than five years. if you did that, that's 3 million barrels a day. we get 4.5 million from opec. 2 million out of the persian gulf. and we're spending billions and billions of dollars for the purchase of the oil. but, also, for our military. i mean, you know, when this generation is analyzed clearly, after i'm gone, i'm 84 -- >> so that could be 50 years from now? >> oh, no. but, you know, it is. seriously, carl, we are going to look like the dumbest crowd that ever came to town. that we didn't get on our own resources. >> boon, the president is

obviously going to talk about investment in green technology. he'll try to avoid the solyndras. where has he fallen short? is it using nat gas as a transportation fuel? is that his biggest error? >> let me say first, he has talked about a lot of things. he has talked about natural gas, wind and solar and everything else. he never has a plan. it's always just a speech is what he has. and, so, we do have, and romney, we've seen his energy plan. his energy plan will work. there's no question about that. but we have plenty of oil in the united states, too. our industry has done an unbelievable job of producing oil and natural gas for this country. and we have the cheapest energy in the world in the united states. the cheapest. and neither one of these candidates will get up there and say we have the cheapest energy in the world. we're going to have companies

that are going to be building again back in the united states instead of exporting jobs. we're going to have our people come home, we will be importing jobs. >> what about the keystone pipeline? surely, this is to come up, as well. what do you expect to hear about that and how much would that move the needle in terms of oil independence in this country? >> well, you're talking about 750 million barrels a day that just comes in to us from canada. put together a north american energy alliance. which, romney has talked about this, but bring together mexico, canada and the united states and then we're energy independent. all of that can happen. keystone pipeline, nobody should have ever, ever turned that down because it's -- it's -- it helps us more than it does canada. >> finally, boon, assume nothing gets done for a while. we've talked for a long time about worst-case scenarios are on crude. if for some reason iran really

does inflate, if the situation gets much worse, are we still talking 250? what's your latest number if things go awry in the middle east? >> as far as the price of oil? is that the question? >> yeah, where could crude go if things really get bad? >> oh, if it went -- if it did spike up like that, it would be temporary. there's oil around. iran is not a big factor. they've produced about 2 million barrels a day. the world uses 90 million a day. we can make up for iran. i'm not worried about that. what i'm concerned about is i want us, the united states, and i think romney can pull this off, that we will be in a position where we have options available to us. and one of them is to get out of the mideast. am i saying get out? no. i'm saying options. it will be something that we can consider doing. >> and i want to get our people out of the mideast, is my feeling.

but, at the same time, i understand the sensitivity of all of that. >> boone, thank you so much. good to talk to you tonight. >> sure, thank you. >> thank you, boone pickens. after tonight, the president and governor romney may go straight to ohio and stay there for the next two weeks. >> two mayors from the buckeye state, one democrat, one republican, will join us next to tell us what is actually happening on the ground there. we're counting down to the start of the final debate of the 2012 presidential election campaign.

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ohio. this year, both candidates have focused on the buckeye state perhaps more than ever before. >> it's pretty amazing, actually. we have a special section tonight. michael coleman is the democratic mayor of ohio. if you want to know what's happening in the state, you ask the mayors. good to have you on the program. thanks very much for joining us. >> good to be here. >> nice to be here. >> let me kick it up with you, mayor hall. what does it feel like on the ground? is it obama town or romney town? >> well, it feels like romney town. i think we need some strong leadership and some good direction to build some real confidence in our local communities so that businesses can grow. >> mayor coleman? >> it's obama is very strong in columbus. we expect him to win. but, you know, the deciding vote is going to be here in central ohio. northern ohio is very democratic. southern ohio is very

republican. in central ohio, we're very independent. and i can tell you that both candidates have been here, in columb columbus, so much, i'm thinking about charging them income tax. [ laughter ] >> i fully expect president obama to win the state and also to win central ohio. >> mayor hall rj, can i come ba to you, sir? >> sure. >> it looked like president obama was ahead, six, seven, eight, nine points. now it looks like ohio is a toss up. what has changed? >> well, i truly think governor romney is getting out and people are really learning the man. they're learning that what he has to offer. he came the our community of newark about two months ago. really touched well to the residents. they were able to talk with him, reach out, understand what kind of man he was instead of just maybe the pre-conceived notion that he's untouchable. a good guy. a good business-minded guy.

we're running government, from my perspective, the chair that i sit in, as a business. and it surely has that strong touch to the people and understand what they want. but we run it as a business. you can't spend more money than what you bring in. it's plain and simple. >> what's the biggest issue? you've got this thing, it's a toss-up. you've got two weeks to go. i appreciate that you want mr. obama to win, but what do you think? is it the economy or some other issue in ohio? >> i think the number one issue, the bottom-line issue in the state of ohio is the economy. jobs. and i am confident that the president will win on that issue because of what he's done to turn the state around in our state with the auto-industry, with manufacturing. the work that he's done in our state has made a difference. the think about ohioans, is that

we're a loyal frgroup of people. when we see a high unemployment rate when the president took office and it even got a little worse as a result of the resegsz, the worst recession since the depression. and through the president's policies, however, through the stimulus package, the auto-industry, saving it, ohioans have gone back to work. in columbus, we are now 5.9 unemployment rate. and we're coming around -- we've got to stay the course. we have to continue with that process. >> mayor hall, obviously the president will use the line -- i'm sure he has every appearance. bin laden is dead and gm is alive. some parts of ohio isn't universally applauded. they're advertising campaigns that use the auto bail out as an endorsement for the governor. does it play where you are? >> yeah, certainly. i do think -- you know, i'll agree with mayor coleman that

jobs is the main focus. we need to get people back to work. we need to get them earning a good income where they're confidentb comfortable, feeling good, have a regular paycheck to be able to pay those bills. but where i'll disagree is done by our new leadership in columbus. governor casey has done a wonderful job coming in. he has balanced the budget, which we have to do. he has put in -- we've done public, private partnerships. we're doing that at the local level. what washington is doing these days, we're still operating very strong at a local level working together. it's not republicans and democrats when you get down to beat the streets. i've got a council that is five republicans, five democrats in most every vote so far administration ideas have gone 9-1 and 10-0. it's working together, communicating and getting things done. they're not going to agree with every move you make, but they want things done and to move in a positive direction, to reap

confidence and go back to the greatest nation in the world. >> so given that we're looking at a better economic landscape in ohio, that low unemployment rate, mayor coleman that you just mentioned, what else do you want to hear from these candidates to resonate about people that they trust in the candidate, about the judgment of the candidate. what would really resonate? >> well, in the case of president obama, he has a proven track record that is, in fact, working and it's working now. in the state of ohio, the truth is that the president was the one that got the -- saved the auto industry. mitt romney, on the other hand, said he would allow the auto-industry to go into bankruptcy. and that tells you what his thinking is. the president wants to continue to groe the economy. and he wants to have a fair tax policy. mitt romney, on the other hand, wants to increase -- continue with tax cuts to the wealthiest

of all of our americans. in the state of ohio, that doesn't play very well. so i think there's a clear distinction -- and, tonight, a talk about foreign policy and where we stand in the world. and mitt romney -- >> right -- >> is under a commander-in-chief task. a task that he has already failed. when he went overseas recently, this past summer on that duke's of hazard tour that was full of bluster and blunder. that was an embarrassment to himself and the country. >> the poll is awfully tight. mayor hall, mayor coleman, thanks so much for your time. >> next, mr. "mad money," jim cramer. >> the economy, the deficit, none of the above according to jim. see what he's watching and how you can profit from it. stay with us.

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welcome back to our special coverage as we await the third and final presidential debate. it is cramer time.

he says some of the topics are the key to this election. >> jim, you sat here a couple -- good to have you, by the way. >> thank you. >> you said cole would be the one to watch. it was ten straight sessions after that. so what's tonight? >> out of control. first of all, your panel has been unbelievable. i'm listening to what boone pickens is saying and what charles is saying. you can say chesapeake, that is the independent play, exxon owns it, that's number one. but console energy, cnx, coal and natural gas. romney is talking about national security energy policy. you have to use every form of fossil fuel to make that happen. and it can't be domestic. it's got to be all north america. so i think those make sense. west port innovations, wprt, those would make these engines that he could use. say romney wins, he gets

executive order 13514. post office, from now on we're using truck that use westport engines. >> if we were to see an obama reelection, does this go off the table? are you just looking at green energy? or do you focus on some of these natural gas plays. >> hillary clinton gave a fantastic, under-noticed speech in georgetown last week. she's talking about the notion that the democrats have to start thinking were independent energy. but, again, they immediately took solar as part of it. it is much more difficult to make a coal thesis. they're not adverse to natural gas. and i think if you read the sub text of secretary clinton's speech, you could see natural gas be a winner, but never coal. >> we all know romney wants to be aggressive opn a number of nw ships. . >> very big downgrade last week just on valuation basis.

general dynamics is cheaper. these are not like ronald reagan where he had a huge run to build 600 ships. we don't have the money to build 600 ships. that's putting the epa on target saying listen, please, let people drill all over the place -- if you want to -- and why i think in the end defense budget is going to be more -- i would care more about bullets than ships and tanks. and that's alliant tech, ata. >> didn't you wait until you get some kind of closure on this fiscal cliff? if we are going to see hundreds of thousands of layoffs of these defense cuts going through, does that impact the group negatively? >> absolutely. that's why i keep coming back. try to stay away from anything that needs congressional approval. if you can tell the post office you've got to start using natural gas engines, which they do, the president has a right to do, that's a lot easier call than saying listen, let's start authorizing big subsidies for this kind of energy. that may be done.

let's start building a lot of ships. we don't have that kind of money anymore. >> finally, chuck schwab at the top of the show. >> what a risky thing to do. half the people in the country do not want to hear from their financial advisor that they favor a certain kind. but, look, i think the banks, obviously, they would get more of a green light. i know everyone's a favorite of the community banks. but the sub text of that is jp morgan is a winner if romney wins. >> meantime, senior correspondent scott cone will be sorting out the facts or fiction from governor romney. scott, you are a glutton for punishment. >> it's the very definition of challenge, carl, i'll tell you that. even ifn a debate about foreign policy, the candidates will try to pivot every chance they get. so our pit bulls will be focusing on the fact-checking in

the places in foreign policy where your money intersect. china, mr. obama says governor romney's proposals will cause a disastrous trade war. the middle east, the powder keg between u.s. and israel. bob schiefer plans on america's role in the world. as always, we will take all the help we can get. tweet your fact checks using the hash tag or e-mail us, investigationsinc@cn investigationsinc@cnbc.com. >> he's been one of the democrat's big esz fundraisers in the past. >> billionaire is next.

welcome back. there's a live shot in boc

boca raton, florida tonight. there's a shot of governor romney's wife, ann romney. of course, things are heating up ahead of the third and final face-to-face confrontation. foreign policy converges with domestic policy. >> john, it's all intertwined now, isn't it? >> absolutely. you know, when you have a global economy like we have, all of the factors of american power are bound up with economic strength. and so you can make a fundamental argument that the best way for america to lead in the world is to have a strong economy. i would expect both candidates to make that point tonight. and explain why there are different approaches to achie achieving that are superior. you've got china, the turmoil in the middle east, the war in afghanistan, president obama makes arguments about in afghanistan, for example, he's

got a new ad this week saying mitt romney wants to keep troops there longer than i do. i think it's time to bring troops home and build a nation at home. that is a resonant argument. that's why mitt romney doesn't disagree with him on that timeline for afghanistan. they have competing approaches to getting tough with china in the name of protecting u.s. jobs. all of that is going to be on the table. as boone pickens was saying, earlier, the reason for our presence in the highly volatile middle east has to do with the supply of oil. and, so, how you could make the country energy independent, how you could free the united states of the need to be over there is one of the central aims of u.s. foreign policy and economic policy at the same time. >> yep, no doubt will be the crux of tonight's debate. john, we'll see you in a few moments. meantime, his company developed the power rangers among many other hits. >> he's been a big supporter of the democratic party, but not always a big supporter of

president obama. cnbc international correspondent, good to see you. let me kick this off with you. you're a supporter of the democrats. tell me what would be most important for the president to stress tonight to have him win this debate. >> well, i think that the president needs to share with the american people all of its foreign policy achievements. he said what he's going to do. and he actually did it. one, he got us out of iraq. two, he set up a date for us to get out of afghanistan. three, he decimated the leadership of al-qaida by killing 20 of 23 of the top al-qaida terrorists, including osama bin laden. that was not a simple decision. remember, in the event this operation went sideways, it would have been a major problem, a major problem for the president. but the president had the courage to go out and strike. he did not hesitate.

and he did what he had to do at the very big political risk. in addition to that, i believe that the president should share with the american people his staunch and unprecedented support for the state of israel. i hope he's very strong on that -- >> has it been staunch and unprecedented? that, i guess, is the debate out there. that the president has actually not been as supportive to israel as many would have liked. >> this goes in the face of the facts. don't listen to what i have to say or what mitt romney has to say. listen to what the administrator of defense has to say, l. barack has to say and the prime minister has to say. >> but, the last time you were on cnbc, your interview on this network made big headlines in israel because you made et very clear you weredeeply upset with the president and you weren't going to donate any money to

him. >> i looked at the facts of how supportive the president has been of israel. and the facts speak for themselves. fact after fact after fact. one unprecedented intelligence and military corporation, common military exercises, access for israel to the special weaponry like the f-35. and the list goes on and on. and there is no precedent for that. there is no precedent for this close cooperation between the two countries. now, people, including me at the beginning, were disappointed. president obama didn't visit israel, he didn't show love. israelis got used to 16 years of love given to them. 8 years by president clinton. 8 years by president bush. president obama is a different kind of president. he acts in terms of substance. in form, could he have done better? yes.

and i allowed at the beginning president obama's presidency to allow the forum to influence my thinking. but then i got a wake-up call and i looked at what he did. and what he did for israel with israel is absolutely unprecedented. >> do you have a question? >> i do. >> reporter: as you know, there are a lot of prominent members of the jewish community who are still disappointed in the president as maria was suggesting a moment ago. i wonder how effective you think the effort by the romney campaign has been to drive a wedge between the president and some jewish reporters? how consequential is that going to be when we get to election day especially in states of florida where we are right now? >> well, frankly, it is clear that slogans used by governor romney, no matter how empty they are, will influence some people. he threw israel under the bus. he threw israel under the bus

not based on facts, but based on governor romney's illusion. and some people will gravitate to that. i agree. but i think these are empty slogans. if anybody bothers in the jewish community or are supporters of israel, whoever, to look at the facts in the field, you will real i realize how unprecedented president obama's support has bb. >> can i just ask you briefly, sir, were you disappointed that president obama did not meet with nedson yahu at the united nations? >> president obama made the decision not to meet with any head of state. let's stop highlighting the fact -- >> but is that the right call? not to meet -- >> excuse me, let me finish. i'm sorry. let me finish. he did not meet with any head of state. so let's go head of state by head of state and analyze why he

didn't do that. it was his prerogative not to do that and he didn't do it. but let's remember that he met with him more than any other head of state over the years. and that following the united nation's assembly, he spent an hour with on the phone with the prime minister. >> it's great to have you on the program. you actually bring up a great point. i think it's really interesting. >> i have one question for you since we have a little extra time. you were an early supporter of hillary rodham clinton. i wonder if you feel for her? if you feel she's been treated in any way unfairly and if you think it improves her chances for 2016? >> well, i'm not going to talk about 2016. you're going to have to ask the secretary about 2016. but i will say this to you. hillary clinton has proven, once again, that she is a true

american, patriot and a hero. she stood up and she didn't fall on the sort. i mean, i can tell you. the embassy's report for the state department. she is secretary of state and she did the right thing. he took responsibility. but, remember, the president in the last debate reminded everybody that hillary clinton reports to him and the buck stops with him. >> good to have you on the program. thanks very much for joining us tonight. the remark i was making was it is extraordinary that during the u.n. general assembly when we had all of the heads of states here, that we did not see meetings with the president. not just israel, just the global leaders. >> i found that quite surprising and i don't think that was very productive. particularly given all of the unrest going on. >> going on "the view" is a big ding. it constant lly haunts the president. >> oh, right, "the view." that's an important show. i don't know why i forgot that. [ laughter ]

>> mcc reminds me. >> david siegal is with us. he sent an e-mail to employees saying if president obama is re-elected, he may have to lay off workers. we've now had a few bosses do similar things. what are your anxieties about a second term for the president? >> well, first he's elected. and what we're going to do is probably we can't stand another four years like the last four. what we're going to do is we'll probably discontinue our sales. but the company will always be there. we have 500,000 happy owners that we're going to service regardless of who gets elected. as far as sales, which we're currently doing 500 million a year, that will definitely slow down if we have another four yea years like the last.

>> whether you look at those or the gallop tracking poll, romney has made a lot of momentum. he's narrowed the gap even in some key states like ohio. have you given any indication that jobs are little more safer than they were two weeks ago? >> yes, i met with a whole bunch of them today and i told them things are looking good but it's going to depend on how they vote. >> but, why? why would you need to lay off so many workers if the president does get reelected. tell us specifics in terms of what policies would allow you to do so. >> a lack of financing, mainly. >> connect the dots for us. why -- >> by lack of financing and the increased coast of health care and higher taxes. that money has to come from somewhere. and it's going to prevent us from expanding, prevent us from growing. it's going to make my life miserable. and, if i'm not enjoying what

i'm doing then i'm going to think about retirement. >> when it comes to real estate, sir, do you think there's anybody who could have been in the white house to help you get more financing for real estate in the last couple of years? >> i don't know. i don't have a crystal ball. but i can tell you what the last four years has been like under the obama administration. i hope the next four years are going to be great. i can tell you that if romney is elected, it will be like a shot of adrenaline in everyone that's in business today. >> siegal, is it the tax policy? is it the health care, obama care policy? how will romney trigger this boom? >> how will he trigger it? >> yes. >> he's a businessman chlts he knows what to do. he'll make sure the banks are lending money.

>> but in terms of other policies, i mean, romney wants to lower tax rates. he wants to lower the corporate tax rate, in particular. and, of course, he says he's going to disband obama care which includes all of its spending and taxing. if romney wins, how does that achief your operation? >> give me more money to work with. i'll hire more people. i'll do more sales. i'll put the construction companies back to work. i'll pay more taxes to the local governments. all of the above. >> how's business right now. what can you tell us about the real estate business and what you've seen in the last year. >> we're profitable, but business is plat. we're growing at a zero pace. we used to grow 20 percent a year. we were doing a billion dollars in sales in 2008. we're now doing half of that. we had 12,000 employees, we now have 7,000. we're stagnant.

we're doing good. our profits are great but we're not growing. we're not employing people. we're not building buildings. >> finally, david, you made a lot of news when you created this initial memo and informed employees about the risks of their jobs. i assume you've taken a lot of blowback for that. has it been worth it? >> i've been getting ten good letters for every bad one. i think it's worth it if it serves the purpose of getting romney elected. if he doesn't get elected, it probably wasn't worth it. [ laughter ] >> but i think informed voter is a good voter. >> thank you so much. bob schiefer gives some instructions awaiting to the crowd. we'll go to one last recap before things get started here. what's the most important thing to watch? >> reporter: carl, i want to see whether president obama can take the offensive in